Photo: Tilly Whitfield Instagram
Let's leave this one to the professionals, yeah?
By Kat Mackay — Written on Jun 16, 2021
Like many of us, "Big Brother" star Tilly Whitfield has fallen victim to a trendy TikTok "beauty hack."
The trend in question aims to help you achieve a natural freckle look via makeup, henna or tattoo ink.
Instead of using henna as many do (and not always to positive effects), Whitfield used a sewing needle to poke brown tattoo ink she'd purchsed on eBay into her skin.
Whitfield didn't mention which particular TikToker led her astray, but henna is the most popular method used to achieve the look.
How did Tilly Whitfield scar herself trying to tattoo freckles on her face?
Whitfield's method brought the henna trend to a whole new level by pricking ink into her face via needles.
Not knowing what exactly to buy, as the video didn't specify, Whitfield explained that she bought what she thought was brown tattoo ink from eBay. The ink she purchased, however, turned out to be fake.
In a conversation with the New York Times, Whitfield said the process "didn't hurt at all, so I didn't think I should stop."
Whitfield had appeared on the Australian version of "Big Brother" donning a clay face mask with the intention of covering up the scarring on her face caused by her unfortunate DIY freckle attempt gone wrong.
Then in several Instagram pics, Whitfield revealed pictures of her scarring with the caption, "the result of attempting to remove scarring I inflicted on myself trying to replicate an at-home beauty procedure I saw on a TikTok video."
Whitfield continued, "Please please don’t try any 'DIY' or 'at home' beauty procedures. I ended up in hospital with temporary loss of vision in my eye due to swelling and was very sick from the infection, not to mention my face was somewhat unrecognizable. Leave it to the professionals."
Although the video she watched said the scarring would go away in six months, this sadly has not been the case.
She later found out, after much scarring, that the ink she used contained high levels of lead.
In her attempts to undo her freckles and the damage done by them, Whitfield has already spent $12,000 on trips to doctors. They have told her not even laser tattoo removal will work, as it is likely to turn the freckles black.
Whitfield has said, "The main response has been that I'm stupid, and, yeah, I agree."
The rise in DIY skincare trends has doctors like dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon Dendy Engelman concerned.
Dr. Engelman told the New York Times, "I think it might be worse than other platforms because people are really looking to create content with that wow factor, the thing that will go viral, even if it’s not grounded in science."
The "wow-factor" in question seems to be doing more damage than good. Whitfield is still trying to find a solution for what looks like permanent damage to her face.
These so-called TikTok experts aren't your friends here, they're just trying to make money and content without talking to experts first.
Listen to Whitfield, and "leave it to the professionals."
They know what they're doing and we definitely don't.
Along with the horrible freckle trend, Dr. Engelman says there are others we should avoid, like putting globs of Vaseline on your skin overnight to promote hydration. That just "sets you up for exacerbating clogged pores and breakouts," she added.
Among the worst at-home trends is microneedling, puncturing the skin with needles to create new collagen.
There are so many things wrong with this, but the biggest issue is the cleanliness of the needles.
"If you go hard enough on your skin, it can lead to color change, textural change, and scarring, essentially worsening what you’re trying to make look better, like fine lines and acne scars," Dr. Engelman said.
Next time you see a TikTok trend you wanna try, maybe think twice about it — it could save your skin.
Kat Mackay is a writer who covers entertainment and good news